Weather Forecast

Heading into the first major holiday weekend of 2016, Minnesota state parks have already seen a record number of visitors. However, anyone looking for a holiday adventure can still find available campsites at select state parks for Memorial Day weekend. New this spring, all campsites at Minnesota state parks must be reserved in advance — ideally online, from home, so that you “know before you go” that the site is yours. Previously, up to 30 percent of the sites at each park were “unreservable” and available only on a first-come, first-served basis.

The DNR wants to make sure anyone planning to visit a state park over Memorial Day weekend is aware of these other recent customer-service improvements:

Same-day reservations are now available, and with no reservation fee.

Vehicle permits can be purchased in advance, online or by phone.

If you arrive at a park without a reservation, visit www.mndnr.gov/reservations to check availability and make a reservation. Soon, many parks will also have self-service stations with courtesy phones that can be used to make same-day reservations.

Those who already have their vehicle permit and reservations when they arrive at the park do not need to stop and check in at the office, where the lines can be long on holiday weekends.

To see which parks still have campsites open for Memorial Day weekend, visitwww.mndnr.gov/reservations. To see a complete list of the sites available statewide, select “Camping & Lodging,” click the green “Search All Parks” box, and then enter your desired arrival date.